On the first Tuesday of 2022, Ireland began to price alcohol by its strength rather than by its shelf appeal, setting a floor of ten cents for every gram of alcohol a drink contains. The change, born of legislation passed the year before, lifts the cheapest bottles and cans the most, reaching the bargain spirits, the strong ciders and the slabs that had once seemed to define a night out. Behind the arithmetic lies an older question about what a society is willing to let its cheapest pleasures cost, and the government's answer is that drinking should be slowed, and that young people should be g
Ireland's Minimum Unit Pricing Takes Effect: Wine, Beer and Spirits Set for Significant Price Rises
A slab of 24 cans is expected to cost at least €40, against deals as low as €15.
Mark
So what actually changed on 4 January?
Mimi
Alcohol can't be sold for less than 10c per gram of alcohol. The HSE says that means at least €1 per standard drink.
Mark
Who feels it most?
Mimi
Anyone buying the cheapest drink. Supermarket own-brand spirits, strong cider and big beer slabs all sit well below the new floor.
Mark
Give me the numbers.
Mimi
Wine is at least €7.40 a bottle, a 24-can slab at least €40, and a 43% spirit bottle at least €23.70.
Luke
Those are expected minimums, and the piece is a pre-effect explainer. It doesn't show what shelves actually charged afterwards.
Mark
And the claim that some prices rise 40%?
Luke
It's stated without a source or a product. Some items clearly rise by more than that, since a €15 slab going to €40 is well over double. So the 40% figure is hard to place.
Mimi
The stated aim is clear, though. Minister Donnelly wants lower consumption, less harm, and later first drinking among young people.
Luke
That's the intention. Nothing here shows it will work, and the article doesn't claim it will.
Il Polso
- A bottle of wine that once sold for three or four euro can no longer go below roughly €7.40 on Irish supermarket shelves.
- Slabs of 24 beers, once promoted at about €15, are now expected to cost at least €40, more than doubling in some shops.
- Cheap 43% spirits face a floor of €23.70, leaving whiskey and gin bargains that sold for €15 to €18 suddenly out of reach.
- Retailers and shoppers are adjusting in real time, and the reported figures so far are expected minimums, not yet settled prices.
- The government is watching whether lower consumption and delayed drinking among young people follow the price rise.
On the first Tuesday of 2022, Ireland began to price alcohol by its strength rather than by its shelf appeal, setting a floor of ten cents for every gram of alcohol a drink contains. The change, born of legislation passed the year before, lifts the cheapest bottles and cans the most, reaching the bargain spirits, the strong ciders and the slabs that had once seemed to define a night out. Behind the arithmetic lies an older question about what a society is willing to let its cheapest pleasures cost, and the government's answer is that drinking should be slowed, and that young people should be given more years before they begin.
From Tuesday 4 January, the bottle of wine that once cost three or four euro in an Irish supermarket can no longer be sold so cheaply. Under the minimum unit pricing introduced by the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, passed last year, the floor for a standard bottle is now about €7.40. The rule does not look at brand or shelf position. It looks at how much alcohol is in the glass, setting a minimum of 10 cent per gram, and the cheapest, strongest drinks feel it most.
Beer shows the change plainly. A pint of lager will cost at least around €1.98, and the cheapest cans will rise to about €1.70 or more. The slab of 24 cans that supermarkets had been selling for as little as €15 is now expected to cost at least €40. Wine and cider follow the same logic, with strong wines and cheap ciders seeing the largest jumps, and bargain spirits, especially own-brand bottles, expected to rise most of all.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said the aim is to reduce drinking, reduce the harm that misuse causes, and hold back the age at which children and young people begin to drink. The measure is now in force, but the figures so far are predictions, not measured shelf prices. What comes next is how those prices settle in shops, and whether the lives it is meant to protect feel the difference. Anyone struggling with alcohol can find support at drinkaware.ie.
From Tuesday 4 January, a bottle of wine in an Irish supermarket can no longer cost €3 or €4. Under the government's new minimum unit pricing, the floor for a bottle is about €7.40, and the cheapest alcohol on the shelves is where the increases fall hardest.
The rule comes from legislation passed last year as part of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. It targets drink that is cheap relative to its strength. Pricing is now tied to the grams of alcohol in a product, with a minimum of 10c per gram, and nothing can be sold below that. The HSE says this works out at a minimum of €1 for one standard drink.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has set out what the law is for: to reduce alcohol consumption, to reduce the harms caused by the misuse of alcohol, and to delay the start of drinking among children and young people.
The effect on supermarket prices is expected to be significant. Some products are set to rise by as much as 40%, and large slabs of beer, normally sold at promotional prices, could more than double.
Beer shows the change most clearly. A pint of lager will have a minimum price of around €1.98. In supermarkets and off-licences, the cheapest can will cost around €1.70. A slab of 24 cans is expected to cost at least €40, against supermarket deals that have sold them for as little as €15.
Wine will move up as well. Beyond the €7.40 floor for a standard bottle, a strong wine at 15% alcohol by volume will be priced at about €8.76.
Spirits, especially bargain and supermarket own-brand bottles, are likely to see the biggest increases because their alcohol content is high and their prices are low. A bottle of 43% spirits cannot be sold for less than €23.70. Whiskey and gin have recently been sold for €15 to €18 in some supermarkets or on offer at off-licences.
Cider is covered too. A 500ml can at 5.5% alcohol by volume will come in at about €2.17, and cheap, strong ciders will see the largest rise in that category.
The measure is now in force, and the reporting so far gives expected minimums rather than measured shelf prices. What matters next is how those prices settle in shops, and whether consumption and harm move in the direction the minister intends. Anyone struggling with alcohol misuse can find help at drinkaware.ie.
Citazioni salienti
The law is designed to reduce alcohol consumption, reduce the harms caused by misuse, and delay the start of drinking among children and young people.— Health Minister Stephen Donnelly (paraphrased)
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